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| Europe | |
| Lab mishandled (Tour de France winner) Floyd LandisÂ’ urine samples | |
| 2007-02-24 | |
| Floyd Landis may retain his Tour de France title after all. The French laboratory that produced incriminating doping results against Landis may have had several errors along the way, including allowing improper access to the cyclist's urine samples, the Los Angeles Times reported. The same lab committed a similar error in 2005, which resulted in the dismissal of doping charges against against Spanish cyclist Inigo Landaluze. Two technicians from the French-government owned lab were involved in the original urine analysis, and a second validating test, lab records turned over to the Landis defense lawyers and reviewed by the paper show. International law lab standards don't allow technicians from taking part in both tests — it prevents them from validating their own findings, the paper reported. A French-government owned lab. Does that mean the techs were French government employees? It's unclear in the records if the technicians, Esther Cerpolini and Cynthia Mongongu of Laboratorie National Depistage du Dopage, played significant roles in both tests to disqualify the findings. Landis' attorneys have asked arbitrators to let them question the technicians. Even if they didn't play a prominent role in Landis' case, it could still bode well for the U.S. cyclist, the paper reported. In a decision issued Dec. 19, 2006 regarding the Landaluze case, arbitrators said the risks of technicians violated lab standards. "The applicable rule is clear and devoid of any flexibility," they wrote. Other potential errors from the lab include: * A document that was altered anonymously after Landis questioned its accuracy. The altered version was certified as "original," the paper reported.Class act over there. Do they really hate us that much over there?
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| Posted by:mrp |
| #7 I hope Floyd Landis gets to bitch slap the French laboratory officials under the Arc de Triomphe. |
| Posted by: RD 2007-02-24 23:21 |
| #6 early AM in France presently...a long shot question JFM have you followed the Lance Armstrong doping scandal in France? Pardon me for a better question but, What is the general viewpoint on Lance in France? Doping, the "Lab" mistake on his sample etc. |
| Posted by: RD 2007-02-24 23:18 |
| #5 So what happened to the scientific method? He fell of the truck, over there? |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2007-02-24 21:45 |
| #4 Does that mean the techs were French government employees? The answer is yes. Also on average governement employees are more likely to be left wing. Note however that the right can be worse than the moderate left: gaullists, national-europeists and front national all of them theoritically right wingers hate America more than most socialists. |
| Posted by: JFM 2007-02-24 15:15 |
| #3 Contrast the French response in this with that of the American response to the loss of the America's Cup. Ho-hum. I guess when you have nothing much left in the world to identify with, the little things become more important. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2007-02-24 09:09 |
| #2 Over there, over there, Send the word, send the word over there - That the Yanks are coming, The Yanks are coming, The drums rum-tumming Ev'rywhere. So prepare, say a pray'r, Send the word, send the word to beware. We'll be over, we're coming over, And we won't come back till it's over Over there. Recordings and lyrics of songs from the WWI era can be found at the First World War site. A great resource. |
| Posted by: mrp 2007-02-24 08:15 |
| #1 The French just HATE losing the Tour De Armstrong to another American. So, if they can't win fairly, cheat. It's the French way. |
| Posted by: DMFD 2007-02-24 01:04 |